Queen Elizabeth and her former Prime Minister Tony Blair once nearly had a fallout over a joke that others thought was disrespectful to the monarch. Blair apparently didn't brush off the idea that he could replace Queen Elizabeth as the Head of State, which offended other members of the Parliament.
According to Daily Express, Blair was introduced as "President Blair" during an anti-poverty rally in 2005. The introduction was clearly meant as joke but the fact that the Prime Minister smirked and smiled at the thought appeared to be disrespectful to the sovereign.
Apparently, the presenters who suggested "President Blair" received complaints through the BBC from The Conservative Party. Former Cabinet minister Liam Fox also chided Blair for his eagerness to ride with the joke at the expense of Queen Elizabeth.
According to reports, as the Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007, Blair didn't exactly have a smooth relationship with the Queen because of the clashes of personalities. Apparently, Blair's visits to Buckingham Palace, which was mandatory for any Prime Minister, was infrequent and often shorter than normal because it felt like an ordeal for the former Labour leader.
There have also been plenty instances when the monarch was disrespected and offended because he and Blair often clashed about the issues of the country or the royal family. Blair apparently regretted this one instance where he made Queen Elizabeth cry because he decided to decommission the royal yacht Britannia to cut down on the government's expenses.
Daily Express reported that Prince Philip was fuming over this decision while Prince Charles was equally saddened by Blair's call, just like the Queen. Royal experts said that several years down the line, the Prime Minister actually thought he made a mistake over this decision.
However, Oprah Magazine reported that despite clashing with Her Majesty, Blair actually often confided his secrets to Queen Elizabeth, including the pregnancy of his wife and other major decisions in his life. Blair felt extra close to the Queen because he trusted that she would never divulge his secrets to anyone else, and she never did.
Today, the former Prime Minister is a private citizen who has his own established firm to develop and aid in political and economic programs. He also has a few foundations to help children in sports and to support initiatives for Africa and climate change. He has been married to Cherie Booth since 1980 and they were blessed with four children. The Blairs today are now grandparents.
